History of St Stephen's Bells Hill

ORIGINSSt Stephen’s was built as a mission church, to replaced a barn which had been used as a burial chapel for the cemetery which had been consecrated in 1895 by The Rt. Rev. John Wogan, Bishop of St Albans. The church was consecrated in 1896 and named St Stephen’s Mission Church, it was partly funded from the Chancel Estate which was a bequest of James Ravenscroft, who built the Alms Houses in Wood Street Barnet in 1680.During the 1930s and 1940 the services followed very high church practices and many of the congregation left and formed what was later to become Chesterfield Road United Reformed Church.(URC) This style, however, was ended one Sunday soon after the Second World War by a directive from the Rector of Barnet, and the statues, vestments, candlesticks, tabernacle, thurible etc. were removed.St Stephen’s was licensed for marriages in 1923, but remained part of the Chipping Barnet Parish until 1983 when the Chipping Barnet Team Ministry was created and it became a parish in its own right with its own District Church Council. This Team now has four churches St John the Baptist Chipping Barnet, St Peter’s Arkley, St Mark’s Barnet Vale, and St Stephen’s.

In 1970 the church was reordered and a new East window was installed. In 1987 a new vicarage was built beyond the car park at the west end of the church.

Two years later a road was constructed between the church and the burial ground giving vehicles access to both The Vicarage and Cantelowe House (the then newly erected sheltered accommodation and residential home.) At this point an entrance to the church from the new road was created. Although the late Victorian red brick building does not have the picturesque attraction of some of our older churches, inside, the chairs, instead of pews, make for a flexible worshiping environment and the friendly and peaceful atmosphere together with the beautiful stained glass window of the risen Christ all contribute to giving this sacred space a feeling of tranquillity, warmth and welcome.

LOCAL HOUSINGPopulation over 6000

Terraced housing from turn of the century

1930 semidetached maisonettes and flats built

Between 1918 and 1939 and immediately post WW2 Council housing many now privately owned